BTT #59: So you think you are better than Lady Macbeth

For dVerse Open Link Night, I am going to post two poems that have been inspired and arisen out of another poem or comment that occurred in a prior dVerse post.  The first came out of a comment by Jane Dougherty where she wrote in response to a poem of mine about racial violence that “at least Lady Macbeth had enough sense to go insane.”   Sadly, we live in a violent and bloody world, and we are all culpable to some degree.  But people of conscience  (like Jane) who are brave enough to be a conscience (like Jane) inspire hope in me that we can seek peace.

The second was inspired this very evening by a poem by our own  Rob Kistener about a kiss under a willow tree. (7-27-19 note: I have since given this poem its own post- Willow’s Kiss).

I will give links to the original poems and comments sections and associated initial rough drafts at the bottom of the post.  It may be fair to question if I helped the poems or if I should have just let the rough drafts stand.  If you want, you can tell me if you like the finished or original versions better.

Here is the link to the OLN kindly hosted by Mish:

Open Link Night #246

Image is from poster of the 2015 Movie directed by Jason Kurzel, with Marion Cotillard and Jason Fassbender.  My humble opinion is that this is the best version of Macbeth I have ever seen on screen.  Y’all need to go buy it. It lost 4 million dollars according to Wikipedia, which is a crying shame because it is wicked awesome.   ok… now back to the poetry.

So you think you are better than Lady Macbeth?

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By Lona Gynt, June 2019.

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Water is insufficient solvent for the stain,

My own hands seem clean enough so

I can smugly wonder,

At how the Scottish Queen

At least had decency

Enough to go insane.

While good people

Of the world just

Hire out the killing

Carefully lined in

Rows and columns

Squaring out the singing

Of some sacred tribal strain,

Not even knowing they

Are blinded by blood

That flows right past

Into roiling waves

Shed in constant weeping

By fallen soldier’s kin.

So still it goes.

Don’t get me wrong

I don’t blame Any One, this is

Larger than a scruff upon

The heath, or the careful

Dissection of a

Reputation, it even

Swallows all the toils

And troubles and the

Weird sisters of fate even

Cast themselves

Into the Rendering

.

“All Hail Macbeth, or All Hail Sally

Or Billy, thou shalt be soup

Hereafter.”

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We are all a part

Of this.

We count and figure

And plan and preach

And sleep and rest,

But I think it hard to know

If we can dream

Rising in the morning

As we do

To smile and press,

And quite decently,

It seems,

Close our eyes

And kill again.

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Lona Gynt, June 2019, All rights reserved

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This poem is also available in the publication listed below

January 2020:

Three poems accepted to the annual anthology for 2019 Out Loud HSV

“Walking the Dog on the Fairway at 9 pm”

“So you think you are better than Lady Macbeth”

“Come Soft Snows”

Available  at this site:

http://outloudhsv.com/shop

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Image from Pixaby, free for non-commercial use.

A Willow’s Kiss

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A willow’s kiss

Wakens slowly but

Runs deep.

Joy sings

But always parts,

If not with silent passing

Then with slowly tilting hearts.

The impervious stream flows

Without asking

To measure bliss or sleep,

We just hear the

Whispered roundings

Of time enough

To weep.

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• Lona Gynt, June 2019

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All rights reserved for text to Lona Gynt, June 2019

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Here are the links to the “mother poems” and comments

https://lonagynt.wordpress.com/2018/12/07/btt-49-soap-dispenser-montgomery-alabama-2018/

Willow Tall

Lady Macbeth Recited at Out Loud Huntsville, Open Mic Night 10-27-19.